Philosophy (Witt) and Communications (Lillie)

In Gorgias, Socrates defines the superior person as one who possesses the cardinal virtues of temperance, justice, courage, and wisdom. He said that pleasure and the good are not always equal and one must be able to discern between good pleasures and bad pleasures and choose the ones that make one a better person.

Socrates said that the superior person must have the temperance to prevent oneself from fulfilling a desire that does not contribute to the good. For example, a person with temperance would cut out sugar from their diet if they were overweight, even if they were addicted and it was painful. They must also have a sense of justice to act in an appropriate manner and enough wisdom to know how to turn away from the pleasures that are not good. Lastly, they must have the courage to go against popular opinion and to be self disciplined without fear of what others might say.

I agree with Socrates about the virtues of the superior person. I think in today’s world it’s hard to go against the status quo and to have the courage to do so, but I agree that it’s the best thing to do sometimes. It can be hard to go against popular opinion, but it feels good to do what one knows is right even if one may suffer. It’s important to fulfill only the desires that contribute to the good no matter how many people may stand in one’s way. One must better the world, not just oneself.